A vibrant Russian conductor Alexander Sladkovsky is reputed as an aristocrat in the new generation of Russian conductors. Since 2010 he is an Artistic Director and a Chief Conductor of the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra in the city of Kazan (Tatarstan, Russia), which he transformed into one of the finest orchestras in Russia.

 

 

Mikhail Pletnev is an artist whose genius as pianist, conductor and composer enchants and amazes audiences around the globe. His musicianship encompasses a dazzling technical power and provocative emotional range, and a searching interpretation that fuses instinct with intellect. At the keyboard and podium alike, Pletnev is recognized as one of the finest artists of our time. Pletnev was Gold Medal and First Prize winner of the 1978 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition when he was only 21, a prize that earned him early recognition worldwide. An invitation to perform at the 1988 superpower summit in Washington led to a friendship with Mikhail Gorbachev and the historic opportunity to make music in artistic freedom.

 

 

The Russian National Orchestra was founded in 1990 by pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev and today is widely recognized as one of the world's top orchestras. Of its debut at the BBC Proms in London, the Evening Standard wrote, "They played with such captivating beauty that the audience gave an involuntary sigh of pleasure." The RNO is also described as "a living symbol of the best in Russian art" (Miami Herald), "as close to perfect as one could hope for" (Trinity Mirror), and "astoundingly virtuosic" (Glasgow Herald).

 

 

Conductor: Alexander Sladkovsky
Piano: Mikhail Pletnev
Russian National Orchestra

 

Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (1919 version) 23’
Gordon Getty: Ancestor Suites 27’

- Intermission -

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor, Op.23 32’
(Piano: Mikhail Pletnev)